Generations United continues to monitor the evolving situation presented by this crisis and its impact on intergenerational connections across the United States and the world. Check out our responses and resources.

In the News

In her piece for
OZY, Carly Stern highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic creates "an impossible tightrope" on which grandparents and other relatives raising children have to navigate. The story quotes our Executive Director
Donna Butts.
Learn more.

The new issue of the
Adult Vaccination Newsletter includes a co-authored blog by our Executive Director
Donna Butts and
Sister Edna Lonergan, founder of St. Ann center for Intergenerational Care. Additionally, the issue also highlights a video produced by our Communications Specialist
Alan King for the
International Federation on Ageing's Vaccines4Life campaign.
Learn more.

Webinar: Supporting Grandfamilies in a Pandemic

Join
Generations United and the National Association on Area Agencies on Aging on Thurs., May 21, at 2 PM ET, for a conversation on how the Aging Network can best support older adults raising grandchildren or other young relatives during this tumultuous time. In this COVID era, sharing of emerging practices is critical, and we hope to capture local responses during the webinar. Register today.

Cornell University Crisis Advice Project Seeks Wisdom from Elders who Lived Through Difficult Times

The Great Depression, World War II and Jim Crow are some examples of the scary eras our elders lived through. Researchers at
Cornell University are reaching out to this group for their perspectives on how to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Youth are encouraged to interview an older adult for this project.
Learn more.

Intergenerational Programs and Physical Distancing

We are still learning how best to connect the generations while maintaining physical distancing. Generations United developed a guide to share ideas and solutions on how intergenerational professionals can adapt programs and activities and create new intergenerational connections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.

Cool Ideas

Virtual GRAND Gallery Artists

Since many are missing the special connections made between the youngest and oldest generations, Southminster Community Fund is starting a virtual GRAND Art Gallery. They're asking children to create a piece of art with their favorite older person or "GRAND" and share it with them. The art will be showcased in the GRAND Art Gallery.
Learn more.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #cooligideas? You can also post them to our Intergenerational ConnectionsFacebook Group. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

"I was so excited to meet her that night," Hest says. "I had grown up exposed, through my parents, to sixties and seventies music: Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Judy."

Culture United

Judy Collins and Ari Hest's Musical PartnershipIn an exclusive interview with Next Avenue, the pair talked about their intergenerational collaboration. Of her partnership with Hest, Collins said, "I can't imagine anybody in my life that I can sing with like this, and I've been singing for a long time." Read the article.

Culture United highlights films, books, music and TV shows with an intergenerational theme. Do you have any suggestions?

Grassroots Community Organizing in the Midwest Supported. The Needmor Fund's Core Grants program focuses on supporting grassroots community organizing in the Midwest. Support is provided to grassroots, membership-based community organizations that are democratically led, engaged in direct action campaigns, and committed to leadership development.
Deadline: June 30, 2020.Learn more.

Request for Proposals. RRF Foundation for Aging is accepting proposal applications for its next grant cycle. RRF recently completed a strategic planning process that sharpened their commitment and focused its grantmaking on four priority areas: Caregiving, Economic Security in Later Life, Housing and Social and Intergenerational Connectedness.
LOI Deadline: June 15, 2020.
Learn more.

If you have - or know of - any intergenerational funding opportunities, please send them to aking@gu.org.

Think Intergenerational - Great Resources

Research and Resources

COVID-19 Fact Sheets in English and Spanish. These fact sheets from Generations United provide information for grandfamilies to stay healthy, informed and connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more.

The Best of Both Worlds: A Closer Look at Creating Spaces that Connect Young and Old.This report from Generations United and The Eisner Foundation includes actionable ways to boost the number of intergenerational shared sites around the country. Learn more.

New Interactive Toolkit: Connecting Generations in Senior Housing. This toolkit, developed by Generations United and the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston with funding from RRF Foundation for Aging, is now a website with downloadable resources. It was designed specifically to help senior housing organizations plan and implement high-quality intergenerational programs that will benefit residents and young people in their communities.
Visit the site.

New Survey on Feeding Infants.Generations United, in partnership with the Infant Nutrition Council of America (INCA), evaluated results from a recent INCA survey to understand what grandfamilies need to know about feeding infants in their care. Learn more.

A Place to Call Home: Building Affordable Housing for Grandfamilies.This sixth edition of the annual State of Grandfamilies in America report detailed the housing challenges these families face and highlighted innovative programs that offer potential for nationwide expansion. Learn more.

Amazon donates to Generations United when you shop AmazonSmileWhen you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Generations United. Support us every time you shop.

Quote

"Whether we're a preschooler or a young teen, a graduating college senior or a retired person, we human beings all want to know that we're acceptable, that our being alive somehow makes a difference in the lives of others."
~Mister Rogers

Your Feedback Invited!

We want Generations This Week to be a real resource for you. Please send us any national news on intergenerational issues in addition to upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, reports and webinars. Local and state events can be shared in our Facebook group. Please also let us know how we can improve! Email us at gu@gu.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Best,

Alan King Communications SpecialistGenerations United

Treat Yourself GRAND!

As a reader of Generations This Week, you are eligible to receive a complimentary subscription to GRAND- The Lifestyle Magazine for Awesome Grandparents.

That's a $26 value for 12 issues delivered right to your inbox. Get valuable offers and inspirational articles like our column on GRAND Families, and more.